Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tbilisi and Rarotonga

For one person, living is cheaper in Rarotonga: $1,117 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. The total is higher in Tbilisi despite lower rent and utilities.

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Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Rarotonga

🇨🇰 Cook Islands

$1,117

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tbilisi and in Rarotonga

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Tbilisi and in Rarotonga actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,269 in Tbilisi versus $1,117 in Rarotonga.

Tbilisi $1,269
Rarotonga $1,117

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,016 in Tbilisi versus $1,581 in Rarotonga.

Tbilisi $2,016
Rarotonga $1,581

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,763 in Tbilisi versus $2,045 in Rarotonga.

Tbilisi $2,763
Rarotonga $2,045

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 14% more expensive than in Rarotonga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 7% lower, Rarotonga 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 ₾30.07

$14.31 NZ$25.50

-18.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.83 ₾97.8

$51.0 NZ$90.9

-25.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.66 ₾24.98

$5.70 NZ$10.15

69.47%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₾9.24

$3.33 NZ$5.93

7.21%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 ₾2.78

$2.21 NZ$3.93

-51.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.45

$2.25 NZ$4.01

-75.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 ₾6.78

$5.05 NZ$8.99

-48.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₾7.85

$5.06 NZ$9.02

-39.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ₾5.60

$2.80 NZ$4.98

-22.50%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₾2.06

$2.91 NZ$5.19

-72.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 ₾4.51

Eggs

$2.83 ₾7.31

$6.22 NZ$11.08

-54.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 ₾24.07

$7.20 NZ$12.83

29.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.52 ₾16.85

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.95 ₾33.50

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 ₾4.34

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₾4.79

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.10

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 ₾6.25

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ₾2.11

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 ₾1.91

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 ₾3.47

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₾2.00

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 ₾9.24

$11.49 NZ$20.47

-68.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 ₾19.83

$11.19 NZ$19.95

-31.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.39

$3.34 NZ$5.96

-49.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 ₾6.21

$5.06 NZ$9.01

-52.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

$2.89 NZ$5.15

-86.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 ₾2.95

$20.16 NZ$35.93

-94.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ₾2.02

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.83 ₾30.58

$33.69 NZ$60.1

-64.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₾3.75

$1.68 NZ$3.00

-13.69%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$24.6K ₾63.6K

$11.4K NZ$20.3K

116.08%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$22.3K ₾57.8K

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$88.8 ₾230

$101 NZ$180

-12.20%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$13.12 ₾33.93

$48.92 NZ$87.2

-73.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 ₾50.9

$103 NZ$183

-80.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

Cinema Ticket

$7.12 ₾18.42

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$375 ₾971

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₾27.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 ₾268

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.26 ₾102

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₾303

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 ₾315

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

$446 NZ$795

55.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

$455 NZ$811

-0.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

$683 NZ$1,217

98.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

$633 NZ$1,128

43.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

$3,985 NZ$7,102

-83.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.62

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Rarotonga: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

Rarotonga

–

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$234 18.4%

Rarotonga

–

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Rarotonga

–

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$172 13.5%

Rarotonga

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$122 9.6%

Rarotonga

–

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.2%

Rarotonga

–

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Rarotonga

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $695 in Tbilisi and $446 in Rarotonga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rarotonga pays about 6 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $38 in Tbilisi vs $51 in Rarotonga. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $153, with Rarotonga cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇨🇰 Rarotonga

🕒 Local time

00:29 12:29 AM

10:29 10:29 AM

14 h behind Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

13,373

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

New Zealand Dollar NZD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

1 NZD = 0.561 USD

1 NZD = 0.504 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NZD, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.88 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

New Zealand Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.78 NZD (1 NZD = 0.561 USD). 1 EUR = 1.98 NZD (1 NZD = 0.504 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

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Between locations

Tbilisi Rarotonga 16,780 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
Rarotonga

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Tbilisi vs Rarotonga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rarotonga wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Tbilisi. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Rarotonga the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 83% lower in Tbilisi. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $695 in Tbilisi versus $446 in Rarotonga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,269 per month in Tbilisi versus $1,117 in Rarotonga – Rarotonga is about 12% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 53% higher in Tbilisi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Rarotonga is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Rarotonga are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.